Trust plays a huge role in the decision to schedule an appointment with a doctor or medical practice. Consumers are more likely to choose a medical practice they recognize and trust.
Your ability to build that trust can make or break your medical practice’s success. Luckily, by taking a proactive approach to managing your practice’s reputation, you can do just that.
These days, reputation management is an essential part of a modern doctor marketing strategy. Keep reading to learn seven key tips to help you build a strong reputation for your medical practice.
#1. Encourage patients to leave online reviews
One of the best — and easiest — ways to build trust in your medical practice is by encouraging your existing patients to leave online reviews.
When patients leave positive reviews about their experience with your practice, it helps to build trust with potential patients who are looking for a new doctor. People are more likely to trust what other patients have to say about your practice than any marketing message you could ever create.
As a part of the check-out process, make it a point to ask patients for their feedback. You can do this in person or via email, whichever is easier for your medical practice. Most people are more than happy to write a review when asked.
#2. Claim your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free platform that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps.
When potential patients search for a medical practice like yours on Google, your Google Business Profile listing is often one of the first things they’ll see. This makes it an important tool for building trust with your potential patients.
Make sure your profile is up-to-date and accurate. Include important information, like your practice’s address, phone number, website and business hours. You can also use your profile to share photos, post updates and respond to reviews.
#3. Be proactive about managing your listings
Google isn’t the only place your patients will go to write reviews, nor will it be the only place potential patients will go to read them. That’s why it’s important to be proactive about managing your medical practice‘s online listings and reviews on all platforms.
In addition to Google, popular review sites include Yelp, Healthgrades, Vitals and, of course, Top Rated Local®. Take some time to claim your profiles on these sites and make sure your information is accurate. Then, encourage your patients to leave reviews on these sites as well.
Having a strong reputation across review sites will help you get found and build trust with even more potential patients.
#4. Keep your website up-to-date
Your doctor website is another key tool for building trust with potential patients.
Your website should be modern, mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. It should also include important information about your medical practice, like your location, contact information, business hours, services and accepted insurance plans.
Make sure your website is up-to-date with the latest information about your practice. This includes changes to your team, your services and your contact information. Keeping your physician website current will help you build trust with potential patients and show them you’re keeping up with the latest changes in your industry.
#5. Build strong connections on social media
Social media for doctors is a powerful tool for building trust with potential patients. It allows you to show the human side of your medical practice and connect with patients on a more personal level.
Use social media to share updates, answer patient questions, provide valuable resources and connect with other members of the medical community. The more you use social media to build strong connections, the more trust you’ll build with potential patients.
You should also make it a point to monitor social media for any mentions of your medical practice. This includes positive and negative reviews, as well as questions and comments. Responding to these mentions in a timely, professional manner will help you build even more trust with potential patients.
#6. Become an active part of your community
Another great way to build trust with potential patients is by becoming an active part of your community. There are a number of ways your medical practice can do this, including:
- Sponsoring local events
- Donating to local charities
- Volunteering with local organizations
- Hosting educational seminars
- Partnering with other local businesses
The more involved you are in your community, the more people will get to know, like and trust your medical practice. This can go a long way in attracting new patients to your practice.
#7. Control the conversion with SEO and content marketing
Finally, you can use doctor SEO and content marketing to help you build trust with potential patients and control the conversion about your medical practice online.
SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing your website and online content to rank higher in search engine results pages. This helps you get found by potential patients who are searching for a medical practice like yours.
Content marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on creating and sharing valuable content to attract, build trust with and convert potential patients into patients. This could include blog posts, social media posts, infographics, podcasts, videos and more.
Both SEO and content marketing can help you build a strong reputation for your medical practice and attract new patients to your practice.
Building trust with potential patients is essential for the success of your medical practice. By following these seven tips, you can start to build a strong reputation for your medical practice and get more new patients in the door.
The Marketing 360® all-in-one doctor marketing platform has everything you need to build a strong reputation and grow your medical practice. From one place, you can develop a beautiful website, master SEO and content marketing, connect with your community on social media and so much more.
